Epilogue: Routine
by the punchline
Summary: The exchange between Hermione and her boyfriend had become a routine. That exchange – and everything it meant – was, no doubt, the reason she woke up every morning. EPILOGUE TO BREAKING STIGMAS BUT CAN BE READ ON ITS OWN. - Previous pen name: krazie-livin


**(A/N: This is the Epilogue for my story ****Breaking Stigmas****, but can also be read on its own. I hope you enjoy it! I wrote it as a spur of the moment thing, and it's a bit short, but hopefully the content will make up for the length. *Fingers crossed*. I hope you like it!)**

"Ginny! You'd better get your freckled butt down here in less than two seconds or I _will _leave without you!"

Hermione stood by the foot of the staircase and stared at the empty, winding stairs impatiently. Just as she was about to announce her departure, Ginny crashed down the stairs, bumping into the walls haphazardly as she struggled to tie the shoe laces of a school shoe. Once she'd stumbled and hopped her way to the bottom, she struggled to straighten in front of Hermione and saluted her firmly, blowing a strand of hair out of her deadpanned face.

"Commander Ginny, reporting for duty!" She barked, her eyes trained somewhere over Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione surveyed her friend with a strict military eye for a good few seconds.

"Since when did you become _Commander_, Ginerva?" She demanded harshly. Ginny flinched.

"Since this morning, sir!"

"Since this morning _ma'am!" _

"My bad! Ma'am!"

"Ginny."

"Yes?"

Hermione eyed her with a raised eyebrow from where she stood several paces (and counting) away from Ginny. "Breakfast, Ginny," she reminded the younger girl.

"Oh!" Ginny gasped as she realized she could relax and drop her hand. "You should make it clearer when you want to stop playing."

"Can we just go?" Hermione asked impatiently, not waiting for an answer as she crossed the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Impatient, are we?" Ginny teased as she followed her out the portrait hole.

"Of course."

Ginny sighed.

"I wish I was in love."

"Ginny, you are in love. With Harry Potter. Remember him?"

"Oh. Right. Yes."

x-x-x-x-x

She entered the Great Hall with Ginny talking animatedly beside her, but instantly tuned out of the lively witch's conversation as her eyes scanned the Slytherin table.

Just like always, he was watching her from where he sat with his plate of toast, a little separated from the rest of the Slytherins. The fact that he always managed to find her before she him, made Hermione wonder if he looked up every time someone came through the large oak doors, just in case it was her. Either that or he was just one timely bloke.

"Hi." His lips formed the word silently, a small smile gracing his lips and making a shy smile stretch at Hermione's lips, accompanied with a soft blush.

"Hi." She mouthed, smiling. She meant it to be silent, but when her lips formed the word, a whole gust of air exhaled from her lips, as if she'd been holding her breath up till that moment and that one word fell out of her mouth in a breathy sigh.

Ginny followed her gaze and clicked her tongue. "You're pathetic."

Hermione's smile vanished and she frowned as she ripped her gaze from her boyfriend, letting Ginny usher her to the Gryffindor table. "Shut up," she muttered darkly.

The exchange between Hermione and her boyfriend had become a routine. A simple, yet heart-warming routine.

That exchange – and everything it meant – was, no doubt, the reason Hermione woke up every morning.

x-x-x-x-x

He'd finished his toast and was now making his way down the Slytherin table, avoiding the disgusted looks that were constantly thrown at him with a certain amount of skill Hermione had become extremely jealous of. She watched him over her shoulder as he all but glided towards the huge doors. But just before he disappeared into the foyer, he glanced over to where he knew she'd be trying to pretend she wasn't watching. Just like every other morning, he caught her staring and rewarded her with one of his rare smiles.

She always felt like a mischievous little kid at this point in their routine, and often scolded herself for being so obviously obsessed. But she couldn't help it. It made her shiver to know that all twenty-two (or so they say) muscles that had to pull together to produce that smile, did all that hard work just for _her. _

At times, it just seemed ridiculous that one lone girl could be so lucky. "Yes, yes. You've been touched by an angel," Ginny had once agreed with not even a quarter of the enthusiasm Hermione held on the subject.

She ducked her head, embarrassed to have been caught ogling her boyfriend _again, _but as soon as he was out of sight, she took a huge chunk out of her bagel and began to frantically work her jaws.

Ginny watched her inhale her food, her face torn between repulsion and amusement.

"You _do _know it doesn't make a difference how fast you consume that bagel. He'll still be waiting for you round the corner. Even if you were _ten whole seconds _late, I'm sure he'd hold your hand with the same amount of fervor. The only thing you'll achieve munching away like that is a clogged up digestive system and excessive toilet breaks."

Harry and Ron nodded violently, speechless by this sudden burst of energy. You'd think that more than four weeks of the same occurrence would prepare them for the inevitable today.

Though deep inside, Hermione was glad they'd finally reached the point where both boys could just nod without opening their mouths. Perhaps if this was the first week of Hermione's relationship, Harry would have said, "You should slow down a bit, Hermione,", whilst what he _really _meant was, "Stop acting so excited to fraternize with the enemy!" but didn't want to say it aloud. And then Ron would've said, "Stop acting so excited to fraternize with the enemy!"

But if this was the second week of Hermione's relationship, Harry would have said, "You should slow down a bit, Hermione,", whilst what he _really _meant was, "Maybe if you're slow enough, you won't have time to see him before class," but didn't want to say it aloud. And Ron would've said, "Maybe if you're slow enough, you won't have time to see him before class."

If this was the third week of Hermione's relationship, Harry would have said (much to the surprise of Hermione), "I agree with Ginny. He's still going to love you the same whether you're ten seconds late or not," whilst what he _really _meant was, "I suppose if you really love him, all this nonsense is tolerable." And Ron wouldn't have said anything, just say there with a sour look on his face.

But now they were past the fourth week, so both boys just nodded.

Hermione ignored all three of them.

x-x-x-x-x

"Good morning, Mr. Zabini."

He pushed himself off the spot on the wall that probably had the shape of his back imbedded in it on account of him always leaning there, with a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

They always met in this hallway. It was out of the way of all the other students, and meant they had to walk much further to get to their classes. They never spoke about it, but Hermione had a feeling Blaise was uncomfortable with public displays of affection, so she didn't mind in the slightest when he insisted on meeting her in this hallway every morning. Besides, it was nice to know she could spend some quality time with her boyfriend without all the Hogwarts gossips pointing and whispering every time their fingers entwined, or their lips brushed against each other.

But it was only those who stuck to their prejudice morals that still continued to badger the unusual couple this far into their relationship. The worst of it was over, as one by one people found a reason to let the couple be. For most of the girls (e.g. Lavender, Pavarti), the fact that Blaise was damn hot was good enough to forgive Hermione for her traitorous act. And those who knew Hermione eventually concluded that if she truly loved him, then why not let her be? After all, if he broke her heart, it would be her fault entirely. Such kind souls, these people were.

Yet Hermione felt sorry for Blaise. The Slytherins weren't as forgiving.

"Miss Granger." Blaise swooped down to brush his warm lips against her cheek and her eyelids fluttered closed contently, forgetting her worries for the time being. He pulled away, still smirking, and told her sternly, "One day you're gonna hurt yourself finishing your breakfasts at such dangerously high speeds."

"I do not finish my breakfasts at dangerously high speeds," Hermione scoffed, hoping he wouldn't see the guilt hiding behind her defiant expression. How could he possibly know?

"Last time I checked – four minutes ago – you had a whole bagel on your plate."

"Who's to say I ate the whole thing?" demanded Hermione as Blaise's hand came out of his pocket to enclose around hers.

"Would you really let the hard work of all those house elves go to waste?" he asked, his tone as innocent as it could go (which, to tell the truth, wasn't very innocent) as they began walking to class.

There was a pause as Hermione struggled to think of a snappy remark. And then, crossly, "You're far too logical for your own good."

"Sounds like someone else I know."

"Oh shove off."

Blaise smirked as Hermione thumped his arm but then looked at her with a light twinkle to his dark eyes.

"Let me wheedle my way into your good graces, again… I've been told these usually help."

Suddenly, he was holding a bouquet of roses that looked as if someone had dipped them in blood. In a good way. The smell that wafted from their closed buds made Hermione's touched euphoria blossom into a dizzying happiness.

"You remembered?!" She asked, only just managing to contain her squeal as she threw her arms around Blaise's. He chuckled into her neck.

"How could I not?"

x-x-x-x-x

Hermione carried the bouquet of roses in the crook of her arm, letting the scent saturate into her very being.

Blaise was ignoring her sighs of content, constant murmurs of "I can't believe you _remembered!", _and exclamations of how every time she glance at each separate rose, it seemed to have blossomed a tiny bit more since the last time she looked at it, which was most likely two seconds ago. Insteadhe busied himself silently towing her down the hill to the Greenhouses. He didn't have Herbology with her, but she'd given up on scolding him for always being late to class as a result of escorting her.

As they arrived the door to the greenhouse, Hermione eagerly pointed out another rosebud that had opened a scant millimeter, which he dutifully ignored before someone inside the glass classroom called out, "Hey lookit! It's the Dirt and Mudblood."

'Dirtblood' was the new nickname the Slytherins had come up for the Pureblood who had let himself be soiled by the Mudblood. It was one of many that the two had collected over the past month.

Hermione looked up to the ascending rows of work benches to where the demeaning taunt had erupted from and saw a familiar redhead eying them offensively. It was the girl who Hermione had stupidly been the teensiest bit jealous of that day in the library, when the Slytheirn had bumped in Blaise and shamelessly flirted with him. Looks like she'd conveniently forgotten that day.

But Hermione was used to these taunts as just like most of this morning, these degrading jeers were all part of her daily routine.

Other than a slight roll of his orb-like eyes, Blaise ignored the taunt and then did something completely out of routine.

He stepped close to Hermione, holding her gently by the hips as he dipped his head. Being careful not to crush her beautiful roses, Blaise took her lips in his and kissed her firmly but chastely. She kissed him back with the same gentle passion, but couldn't stop the confusion from clouding her movements.

After all, Blaise had never made his interest in PDA known, but here he was, kissing her very well in front of a whole class of students – half of whom were Slytherin.

This was not routine.

Yet perhaps there was a reason for this unexpected change in moral, Hermione wondered as Blaise's hand came up to warmly cup the side of her face. Catcalls and wolfwhistles and some disgusted boos were erupting from all around them (lucky the professor hadn't arrived yet), but Hermione ignored them as she carefully pulled away from Blaise's sweet lips.

As she looked deep into his unreadable eyes, she decided that yes, there was a reason for that beautiful kiss. You see, today wasn't a routine day. Today was special. Today was –

"Happy One Month Anniversary, Hermione."


End file.
